Posen High School science teacher wins $2,000 grant to fund Great Lakes learning opportunities

POSEN -- A science teacher at Posen High School recently received a $2,000 grant to fund her Great Lakes Marine Debris Prevention Program.

Stephanie Goebel teaches science to students in grades 9-12. She started the debris prevention program in the 2023-2024 school year. This will be the fourth year of the program.

"It's always exciting to know that we have more funding coming in," Goebel said about winning the grant.

The grant was awarded by Voya Financial, a leading provider of retirement plans for educators, a Monday press release from Voya Financial stated. The grant is part of the company's 2026 Unsung Heroes awards competition. Goebel is one of 50 winning submissions to receive the award.

She still has the chance to be awarded another $25,000 for the debris cleanup program. A committee will review the 50 winning submissions and choose a top three to receive an additional $5,000 for third place, $10,000 for second place, or $25,000 for first place.

For 30 years, the Voya Unsung Heroes program has awarded grants to K-12 educators in the United States to recognize and support their innovative teaching methods, creative educational projects, and their ability to positively influence the children they teach. Since the program's inception in 1996, Voya has awarded over 2,710 educators more than $6.66 million nationally.

Goebel said she applied for the grant in the spring after searching online for grants for educators.

The debris prevention program has been the longest running place-based stewardship education initiative at Posen schools, the release stated. Rooted in hands-on learning and student voice, the program empowers students to investigate and remove marine debris while learning to make better personal decisions in regard to their impact on the environment. Students have collected over 7,000 pieces of marine debris to date and aim to grow that number over time.

The marine debris prevention program partners with the Northeast Michigan Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative (NEMIGLSI), Goebel said.

NEMIGLSI supports projects that get "students" hands in the dirt, feet in the water, and hearts in the communities, using forests and shorelines as classrooms as they engage in hands-on stewardship projects," according to their website.

Goebel said her goal is to take her students to all five Great Lakes. They have been to four of the Great Lakes so far, with just Lake Ontario left to visit.

The plan is to visit Lake Ontario in June 2027. The funds from the Unsung Heroes grant will go towards trip costs.

Goebel said that she spent a week at Lake Erie with students this June, where they learned from a lead plastic pollution researcher at Gannon University.

She said that she is teaching her students more about plastic production and how plastics end up in the Great Lakes. On the Lake Ontario trip, Goebel hopes to visit the Rochester Institute of Technology with her students where leading research is being done on plastic pollution.

Students have not had to pay out-of-pocket costs for any of the field trips so far, and Goebel hopes to keep it that way.

"We have been really thankful the last four years of this program that students have not had to pay anything out of pocket for these trips," Goebel said. "We don't want it to be a financial burden for families."

Winning the grant shows the importance of this program for Posen High School students.

"It's a feel-good moment that they think what we're doing is worth investing in," Goebel said.

Reagan Voetberg can be reached at 989-358-5683 or rvoetberg@thealpenanews.com.